2012 Raw Foods Challenge, Day 3

Day 3. I honestly was not sure I would make it this far, and I thought it would be a bit more difficult than it has been. I don't plan on keeping a totally raw diet after this, but it has been an interesting undertaking so far & I haven't really felt cravings, hunger, or lack of energy like I thought I might.



Breakfast was clementines, apple slices, raw cheddar cheese, honeycomb and almonds. Super easy & a delicious sweet start to the day.





For lunch I had leftover salad & raspberry chia kombucha. If you've never had kombucha, it is definitely an acquired taste. The first time I bought a bottle I thought it had gone bad. However, it grew on me when I was under the weather once & discovered how quickly I felt better after drinking some--it's filled with B vitamins & probiotics.





For a mid-afternoon snack I had some raw dark chocolate & leafy kale chips.



For dinner I made some raw "creamy pasta."



Ingredients:

1 carrot
1 zucchini
a handful of grape tomatoes
about 1 cup of raw cashews
Juice of 1 lemon
about 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
water as needed
lemon pepper
chipotle pepper



Combine the cashews with nutritional yeast, lemon juice & water. Blend until smooth.
Add lemon pepper to taste.
Grate the carrot & the zucchini into strips.
Pour the sauce over it & top with tomatoes & chipolte pepper.

2012 Raw Foods Challenge, Day 2

Day 2 of the Raw Foods Challenge. I started the day with a delicious smoothie. I combined 1 cara cara orange, some frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, ground flaxseeds, a handful of spinach, and some coconut water. I was pleasantly surprised at how filling it was, not to mention yummy.








For lunch I had a raw pumpkin bar & some Brad's Raw Kale (the addictive snack that lead me to this challenge to begin with). The pumpkin bar was only so-so but handy to eat on the go.






For dinner I made a Berry Spinach Salad. I really love putting fruit into my salads. This one turned out rather well.


Ingredients:

About 4 cups of spinach
1/4 cup of Trader Joe's Go Raw Trek Mix
1 clementine
a handful of raspberries
a handful of blueberries
a handful of pomegranate seeds
leftover tomato-avocado salad (or just some avocado & some tomatoes)
Idiazabal cheese, made from raw sheep's milk





Mix everything together & eat!

Recipe Video: Avocado Tomato Salad

This is Brunch Philly's first video recipe. I tried the salad with raw onions this time, but realized that it's better without them.

2012 Raw Foods Challenge, Day 1

Happy New Year! I decided to start this year with a challenge.

Specifically, Brad's Raw Chips 7 Day Raw Foods Challenge .

I always figured that if I would ever try a raw foods diet it would be in the middle of summer, but today marks day one of the seven day challenge. Each day I'm going to be writing about the experience and posting recipes and photos.





Today I started breakfast with a delicious fresh grapefruit, something I love in the mornings anyway so it was hardly a challenge. Preparing it is super easy with a grapefruit knife.









For lunch, I had an apple, a handful of steam-pasteurized almonds, a slice of Amish raw milk cheddar cheese with microbial rennet, and a piece of somewhat local raw honeycomb.







Despite what you might think, honeycomb is totally edible and quite tasty when paired with nuts, fruit & cheese!




For dinner I'm making one of my summer favorites, Tomato Avocado salad (with the onion and fresh squeezed lemon pictured below). However, I think I may have messed up a little bit. My recipe includes balsamic vinegar, which I thought was raw, but after a quick search on the internet it seems most (if not all) are not. Oops! Hopefully that won't disqualify me, but all in all this has been a pretty raw day.



Another new thing for Brunch Philly this year, I'm going to be posting occasional recipe videos. The first one will appear later today and is for tonight's dinner, Tomato Avocado Salad. Stay tuned!

Lacroix Restaurant, Philadelphia PA

In December 2010 two brunchmates & I thoroughly enjoyed brunch at Lacroix. Since it is now a year later that I'm finally writing about it, this is not so much a review as a reminiscence.






Our table overlooked Rittenhouse Park, where the trees were covered in white lights. The view was a magical winterland of people & dogs walking through the snow.




For the first course, there was a table of delicious bite-sized treats to choose from. I remember a mix of sweet and savory, from a butternut squash soup shooter, sushi, shrimp, lox, bagels, fruit and more. The small bites were perfect since it allows you the ability to try everything without becoming full too quickly.






The second course was set up in the kitchen. At first you feel almost like a naughty child, entering a space normally off-limits. But the cooks & servers welcome everyone and manage to move with impressive efficiency among the guests.





Second course options included waffles with fresh fruit and whipped cream, crispy bacon, carved to order meats, gnocchi, and some of the best Brussels-sprouts I've ever tasted. I'm not always a fan of Burssels-sprouts, and I also don't really care for Pine-nuts, but somehow the two were combined to create a taste I crave.




For dessert, there was a table of mini options including creme creme brulee, cheesecake, eclairs, cakes, and more. They also have ice cream, sorbets, and a chocolate fountain with multiple items for dipping (fruit, pound cake, pretzels, marshmallows, etc).


















If I had to do anything over about the outing, I would have gone for the valet parking rather than the meter down the block. In the relaxed dining environment, two hours passed quite quickly & I ended up with a parking ticket. Given how memorable the meal was, I am very much looking forward to the next opportunity I have to brunch at Lacroix!






If you go:

• 210 West Rittenhouse Square - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
• Phone: (215) 546-9000
• They accept credit cards.
• Lacroix Restaurant

Super Delicious Kale Salad

This salad combines bitter, sweet, salty, creamy, and spicy into one power packed burst of flavor. You might not think of pomegranates, raspberries, chili-lime, mango, chocolate, kale and vanilla-blueberry as going together, and I wasn't sure myself how this would turn out, but it had me wanting seconds. Serve with quiche, eggs Benedict, or soup for brunch or with a pasta & wine, (It pairs well with this wine) for dinner.



Ingredients:

1 container or bag of baby kale
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 clementine
5-6 fresh raspberries, broken into pieces
2 squares of dark chocolate, broken/smashed into tiny pieces
dash of nutritional yeast
dash of lemon pepper
1/2 container of Trader Joe's Vanilla blueberry goat cheese (or other soft goat cheese)
dash of olive oil (citrus flavored)
dash of balsamic vinegar (I used a Mango flavored one that found in Florida)
1/8 cup of Trader Joe's Chili Lime cashew nuts (or other nuts)





Rinse the kale & spin dry. Take the goat cheese & crumble into small pieces. Rub the cheese over the kale, coating it. Add the pomegranate seeds, clementine, raspberries, chocolate, and nuts. Add the oil and then the vinegar, tossing everything. Add the yeast and lemon pepper to taste. Toss again and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Stuffed Avocados

Stuffed Avocados are a super easy snack, light lunch, or fun hors d'oeuvre that's sure to please!




Ingredients:

• 1 or more ripe avocados
  
• Salsa, hummus, or other dip
• Spices to taste (chipotle, pepper, garlic, etc)
  

Slice avocados in half, peel off the skin & remove the pit. Fill the space left by the pit with your dip of choice. Sprinkle with freshly grated black pepper, or other spices for color. Serve with chips, veggies, cheese, or as is with a fork.